Looking for wholesome family fun this June long weekend? You’re in for a treat: Central Coast farmers are opening their gates and welcoming you into their paddocks in celebration of the annual Central Coast Harvest Festival.
You can pick sunflowers in Peats Ridge, collect eggs in Kulnura, feed babydoll sheep in Jilliby, shake pecans from the tree in Somersby, and cuddle chicks in Mangrove Mountain. There is local honey to taste, weaving demonstrations to watch, alpacas to snuggle, freshly fallen macadamias to find and ponies to ride.
We’ve spoken with the farmers and perused the program to share with you what we believe will be the Harvest Festival’s best family-friendly events in 2024.
We’ve separated our feature into two sections – one for ticketed events (that are best booked in advance lest they sell out) and walk-up events that can be visited on a whim.
But first, before you scroll on, a tip: don’t delay buying tickets. We’ve already snapped a few up, and we know from previous years that most events sell out super quick.
Central Coast Harvest Festival events with bookings required
Pick your Own Sunflowers, The Bloom Barn | Peats Ridge
Have we found the cheeriest winter activity of all time? We certainly think so! Head to The Bloom Barn Farm in Peats Ridge to pick sunflowers straight from the fields. We’re already daydreaming about the super cute family photos we can take among the amazing yellow blooms.
When you buy a ticket, you can pick up to five sunflower stems. With a family pass (two adults and two children) you can pick up to 20 flowers – perfect if you want to make a gorgeous gift for someone or just want to display a nice big bunch at home. Take a picnic rug and don’t forget your camera.
DATES: 9am-4pm, Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 June.
LOCATION: The Bloom Barn, 1154 Peats Ridge Road, Peats Ridge.
ENTRY COST: Adult $22 | Child (5-15 years) and concessions (65+ & concession card holders) $15 | Family of 4 $70 | Children 4 and Under, free. $2 of each ticket sale will be donated to Coast Shelter which assists with domestic violence and homelessness.
ADDITIONAL COSTS: Additional stems can be purchased for $5 each.
TICKETED ENTRY ONLY: Pre-purchase of tickets online is essential.
Farm animal cuddle, pat and feed experience, The Giving Farm | Jilliby
Located in the Central Coast Hinterland, The Giving Farm is a certified organic, family-friendly, down-to-earth farm with lots to explore. Anthony, Missy and their kids run regular farm events – from pick-your-own blueberry days and native bee sessions to animal art workshops and farmer-for-a-day tours.
This June long weekend they’re inviting you to meet their animals. Come along to feed and pat their babydoll sheep, dairy goats, chickens and Buddy, their Buff Orpington rooster! Throw feed to the geese and hay to their guernsey and angus cows, Blossom, Sweet-Pea, Daisy & Rosie! Learn about different chicken breeds, collect their eggs and see their different shells – you may even find a blue egg!
DATES: Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 June. Tours at 10am-11.30am and 1.30pm-3pm.
LOCATION: The Giving Farm, 147 Durren Road, Jilliby.
ENTRY COST: Tickets are $27.50 for ages 2+.
TICKETED ENTRY ONLY: Pre-purchase of tickets online is essential.
Mountain Goat Trails and Silver Gully Farm | Mangrove Mountain
Enjoy a beautiful walk around Silver Gully Farm. You’ll taste local honey, feed and pet their cows and alpacas, cuddle a chick and learn about the farm. The tour will run for 45 minutes and a sausage sizzle is included in the ticket price.
When it comes to sausage sizzles, you won’t find something more authentic than this! Over the June long weekend, the farmers of Silver Gully Farm will be firing up the barbecue and cooking their home-grown beef sausages. We recommend you bring a picnic blanket, buy a sausage sanga, find yourself a spot in the paddock and relax. The country tunes will be pumping and local juice, arts and crafts will be for sale too.
DATES: 11am-3pm Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 June. Tours run at multiple times across the day. Check website for times.
LOCATION: Mountain Goat Trails and Silver Gully Farm, 60 Niclins Road, Mangrove Mountain
FREE ENTRY: Free admission for paddock-to-plate sausage sizzle – pay for what you purchase.
Mountain Goat Trails tour of Silver Gully Farm: Adult $20, Child (2-16 years) $10, Family (2 adults and 2 kids) $55. Kids under 2 free.
Meet & Greet the Alpacas and Breakfast with the Alpacas, Iris Lodge Alpacas | Jilliby
Want to rub shoulders with 120 alpacas? At Iris Lodge Alpacas you can snuggle a llama, hand-feed angus cows, pet babydoll and wiltipoll sheep and meet the family’s maremma sheepdogs. Come in the morning for breakfast with the alpacas – they get fed and you do too: bacon and egg rolls, homemade cakes, yoghurt, fruit salad. Or, if you’re not into early starts, you can visit throughout the day too.
As a special treat you will also meet all our baby alpacas. For late risers, join us for our alpaca open day.
DATES: Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 June. Breakfast with the Alpacas – 8:30am each day. Alpaca Meet & Greet 11:30am-4pm each day.
LOCATION: Iris Lodge Alpacas, 33 Dunks Lane, Jilliby
COST: Breakfast with the Alpacas: 13yrs+ $60pp. 3yrs-12yrs $55pp | Meet & Greet Alpacas: 13yrs+ $27.50pp. 3yrs-12yrs $25pp.
Includes 3 bowls of alpaca food.
TICKETED ENTRY ONLY: You can purchase tickets online or on the gate if tickets remain available.
Bambino’s on the Farm at Eastcoast Beverages | Kulnura
Get your tickets now! Eastcoast Beverages is throwing open their orchard gates so you can experience Bambino’s on the farm on Sunday 9 June.
This third-generation, family-owned fruit juice and spring water company is giving you a rare chance to pick sweet juicy oranges straight from their trees. There will be live music, lawn games and, should the weather play nicely, you’ll also be able to jump aboard a trailer and take a tour of the farm.
You’re welcome to bring a picnic and throw down a rug in the orchard or grab a bite from their brand-new on-site cafe, Bambino’s. The cafe sells delicious treats made using fruit grown on the Eastcoast orchard and created by local pastry chefs The Good Bits Co and The Brownie Lady. Plus there are Shhmoakesy pies (produced on the Central Coast), coffee and, of course, a plentiful range of juices.
DATE: 10am-2pm, Sunday 9 June.
LOCATION: Eastcoast Beverages, 993 George Downes Dr, Kulnura.
ENTRY COST: Adult (12 and over) $10 | Child (12 and under) $5. Entry includes a produce bag to pick oranges.
ADDITIONAL COSTS: Farm trailer tours and charcuterie boxes can be purchased. See website for costs.
TICKETED ENTRY ONLY: Pre-purchase of tickets online is essential.
Glenworth Grazing Food & Wine Festival | Glenworth Valley
Love the idea of honeycomb and lavender gelato, pulled pork burgers and hand-made pasta tossed in a parmesan wheel? Get to the Glenworth Grazing Food & Wine Festival this June long weekend. With the likes of Spoon Bay Gelato, Bianco Restaurant and El’s Fried Chicken making an appearance, this fabulous premier food and wine festival is one for the whole family.
Parents, you’ll love the licensed outdoor bar and boutique market stalls selling handmade homewares. And the entire family will love the live music, gourmet food stalls and day amid the sunshine and eucalypts.
To up the fun factor, you can purchase an unlimited rides pass for your kids. The pass Includes laser skirmish, lead pony rides, a jumping castle, face painting and a petting zoo.
DATES: 10.30am-5pm, Saturday 8 June and Sunday 9 June.
LOCATION: Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures, 69 Cooks Rd, Glenworth Valley.
ENTRY COST: Adults from $42.50, Kids $25, Infants 0-2 free. Sunday Family Pass Saver (2 Adult + 2 Children) from $122.50. Tickets are cheaper online than at the gate.
ADDITIONAL COSTS: Unlimited Kids Rides Pass $31.85. Laser skirmish is available for kids aged 5+. All other rides/activities are available to kids aged 3-14. | Premium parking $16.18 per car.
TICKETED ENTRY ONLY: You can purchase tickets online or on the gate if tickets remain available.
Grace Springs Farm Tours | Kulnura
At Grace Springs Farm you can cuddle the chooks, pat the calves, and harvest and taste produce picked straight from the market garden. You’ll see the pigs being fed, visit the bee hives and collect eggs still warm from the chooks.
Grace Springs Farm produces grass-fed milk-fed pasture-raised pork, grass-fed beef, pastured eggs, pastured chicken, pastured muscovy duck, vegetables, garlic and honey, and owner Virginia Mall also runs farm tours. The tours are run on select dates throughout the year, so if you can’t make it to Harvest Weekend you can try for another date or even put in a request for a private group tour.
DATES: Saturday 8 June and Sunday 9 June. Tours run twice daily (9.30am and 2pm). Bookings essential.
LOCATION: Grace Springs Farm, 1128 George Downes Dr, Kulnura.
COST: Tickets are $25 per person 2 years & over.
TICKETED ENTRY ONLY: Pre-purchase of tickets online is essential.
Harvest Festival Central Coast events – where bookings aren’t needed
Pick your Own Mandarins, Goodmayes Orchard | Somersby
Goodmayes Orchard is a small-scale family farm located on the Central Coast, hosting a variety of fresh produce including mandarins, oranges, lemons and more.
Established in 1920, Goodmayes Orchard is a small-scale family farm that grows mandarins, oranges, lemons, avocados and more.
It has been maintained for four generations, with family members from 24-94 years old working the farm, and this June long weekend, the family is proudly opening their farm gates to the public for the first time.
They’re inviting you to bring a picnic and sit among the 65-year-old fruit trees, pick juicy satsuma mandarins, and visit the fabulous vendors they’ve invited onsite for a fun day out, including Umina’s Billy Button Florist.
DATES: 9am-5pm Saturday 8 June and Sunday 9 June.
LOCATION: 76 Keighley Avenue, Somersby.
FREE ENTRY. Parking is $5 per car. Bookings are not essential.
MORE DETAILS: Visit the Love Central Coast Harvest Festival website.
Westy’s Place Field Day | Central Mangrove
Westy’s Place Field Day is a fabulous day out for the family, and the best part is that you can go on a whim. Families can enjoy free macadamia nut picking and view a collection of vintage machinery, tractors and fire trucks.
There’s a heap to keep the kids happy. They’ll have a free jumping castle, plus paid face painting, and nature play and craft workshops hosted by Design A Face Painting and Enchanted Fairy Parties Central Coast. There will be food vendors on site to keep the wolf from the door and local artisans selling their wares.
A day at Westy’s is a day of fun-filled affordable fun at its best.
DATES: 9:30am-3pm Saturday 8 June.
LOCATION: 1650 Wisemans Ferry Road, Central Mangrove.
FREE ENTRY
MORE DETAILS: Visit the Love Central Coast Harvest Festival website.
Pick Your Own Pecans at Artisan Estate | Somersby
Artisan Estate (formerly known as The Pecan Lady) is opening its orchard over the Harvest Festival long weekend and inviting you to forage for nuts fallen fresh from the trees. Bring a bucket to fill and enjoy a picnic under the canopy.
DATES: 9am-4pm, Saturday 8 June and Sunday 9 June.
LOCATION: Artisan Estate, 30 Ulinga Rd, Somersby.
COST: Free entry. $15/kg; pay for what you pick. No need to book.
MORE DETAILS: Visit the Love Central Coast Harvest Festival website.
Jurassic June, Australian Reptile Park | Somersby
Is your little one obsessed with dinosaurs? This long weekend they can stomp the path of the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex and see the snapping jaws of a Raptor at the Australian Reptile Park. These 8-foot-high animatronic dinosaurs will take daily walks throughout the park over the long weekend. Plus, don’t miss out on seeing Earth’s “living dinosaur”: Elvis the croc!
DATES: 9am-5pm, Saturday 8 June and Sunday 9 June.
LOCATION: Australian Reptile Park, Pacific Highway, Somersby
COST: Normal entry fees apply. See website for details.
Plus you can….
- Enjoy Devonshire tea at the historic Mangrove Mountain Union Church (circa 1912).
- Sample $5 tasting boxes from local eateries at Taste of Wyong.
- Peruse the bric-a-brac stall and pre-loved books, and grab yourself a tasty bite at Kulnura Public School.
- Quench your thirst with fresh lemonade and home-baked treats at Wyong Creek Public School.
- Join in a workshop or watch a demonstration in metal forging, weaving, painting and pottery at Jilliby Public School.
- Plus there’s a heap on offer best suited to adults – from whisky tastings to long lunches.
To view the complete program on all that’s happening at the 2024 Central Coast Harvest Festival this June long weekend, head to the Love Central Coast website.
Here are some tips to best enjoy your Harvest Festival experience
- In the event of wet weather, check out the Harvest Festival Central Coast Facebook page, the Harvest Festival website or tune into Star FM 104.5 for regular updates.
- Cash is king. Many events are on farms and remote properties and they don’t have Eftpos or ATM facilities. We recommend you bring cash so you can best enjoy the activities available.
Written By: KATIE STOKES
Founder & Editor
After working in print and online media for more than a decade, Katie launched Playing in Puddles in 2017. A mum of three young boys and local of the Central Coast, Katie loves discovering and sharing all that’s happening in our region.
